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This makes me exceedingly glad that I recently acquired an x-box.  Granted, I can't recommend the system as there seems to be a lack of kick-ass games for it thus far.

edit: Whoops..  spoke based upon pre-sale link..  looks like it'll be PS2 and PC as well. 

I'm a bit torn on this.  I don't know whether it'd be better for Steve P & Co to obtain the work done thus far so that it'd be out sooner or whether I'd rather wait and see an entire game that's Steve P's brainchild. 

I would think it would be in LucasArts' best interest to arrange licensing or sale of the developed art or technology.  Then they could recover either some money from their investment or at least work out a deal that would put their name in the credits of a game that should help revitalize the adventure genre.

Also, I think comparing lesbians to abusive alcoholics is a bit of an apples-oranges comparison. But if you want to have realism, just put in the same old whitebread vanilla folk you see on nearly every show.

You can't contradict me.  You quoted me.  You worship me!  Noooo.... <stomps away>

It's amazing how anybody that tries to keep a balanced opinion and see both sides gets bitch-slapped by both extremes.  I wasn't making a comparison at all.  To be more specific; having raised 4 girls for 7 years, I met quite a lot of parents and their children.  Of those sets of parents, I never met a gay couple.  I did, however, meet many bi-racial couples, drug-dealing couples, abusive parents, Wiccan parents, ultra-conservative uber-Christian parents, strict parents and the 'cool' parents who'll let their kids experiment with everything regardless of age or maturity level. 

Once I state that I agree somewhat with a certain viewpoint, any words of explanation or justification are ignored.  Mr. C: I already stated that I have no problem with that episode and wouldn't have had any problem with my kids seeing it.  Why pull out the race card and toss accusations of bigotry out at every turn? I was merely saying that I could see how some parents might find that offensive and I didn't feel it was a realistic expectation of the show to assume that every child is going to come across a homosexual couple in their formative years.  I do, however, think that most children will come across a bi-racial couple among their friends' parents.  I haven't had any reaction upon meeting a bi-racial couple but it's the proliferation of controversy surrounding it that makes us even consider such issues. 

I do think you make a good point, Eric, when you say that controversy and lack of general acceptance are what makes these things 'issues' to begin with.  Ah, what I wouldn't give for a world wherein offensiveness and political correctness weren't words we needed to consider daily.

Ah, it's good to hear that something still has the backbone to try and put the Oomph back into the adventure genre.  Both items are very good news.

Edit by Andail: I'm a moderator, I reply and comment where it pleases me, thank you very much

<For the sake of moderators everywhere, Yakspit removes his tongue from his cheek.>

Anyway, the twin argument still doesn't manage to dispute the research statement from earlier (specifically, the gene found in 10% of the population that causes homosexuality 50% of the time). In fact, it provides as much evidence as it does refuting it. 

I agree with Peter Thomas.  While my stepkids wouldn't have been confused or taken aback by this particular cartoon episode (as they've been educated on such matters) and I'd have no problem with them seeing it, kids cartoons shouldn't cover every available scenario but rather the more common ones.  Speaking from my own perspective, I've yet to see a set of lesbian parents raising children and I've met a lot of parents (in the San Francisco area no less).  It would be far more realistic if our favorite little bunny met his friends parents and the dad turned out to be a physically abusive alcoholic (now that's good children's TV!). 

Yes, parents that don't approve shouldn't let their children see it and they should monitor what they're children watch.  However, this shouldn't be down to the micromanagement level with each episode pre-screened.  A parent shouldn't necessarily assume a TV show aimed at kids is automatically acceptable either.  They should be able to tell from seeing a couple episodes whether a series as a whole is okay for their children.  In the case of this show, the authors have deviated a bit from their standard programming.  If a parent needs to be so involved in what their kids watched that they prescreen every episode of every program, then perhaps that parent shouldn't be letting their children watch TV at all. 

If anyone picks on perspective, I'll step on their head.  I don't really feel it matters for this pic.  I think part of the problem is that you've hit a fairly high realism level but the lighting is still a bit cartoony.  Remembering the color of sunlight and sky and that they'll be reflected somewhat by all objects would bring the image together a little bit, I think.  You've also got very dark colors for the street. 

I'm sure different countries use different techniques and while I've seen some asphalt that looks like that, I've yet to see a sidewalk so dark.  I agree somewhat with Proskrito's changes.  The sky-tweak is a good one and the building should be a bit less white since it's the side not facing the sun.  Because of the shadow positions and the somber coloring, I'd guess it to be about 5PM, just a bit before sunset so the shadows should be elongated and darkened with just a hint of blue.

I'm finding it extremely difficult to make suggestions as the background's very high quality as is.

Isn't part of the reason for C & C so one knows better how to progress?  I understand that it's a lot more useful to comment on a finished image but I'm sure many get frustrated by implementing suggestions that require a lot of work on a finished BG. 

On the stanchions: The base of the two 'arms' seems like it would be more visible with the perspective you chose.  Specifically, some of the back portion should be visible.  Rather than having them meet the floor in a flat plate-type fashion, why not stubby cylinders? The top parts of the 'arms' seem like they could use some 3-dimensionalization as well.  I like the look but the two objects look slightly 2-dimensional when compared to the rest of the background.

Portal: I'm not sure if it's intentional but because of the curved lines, it looks a bit  egg-shaped instead of flat.  One way to avoid that would be by having the curved lines going different directions.  Another would be to address it when shading.  Speaking of light/shadow, make sure you decide whether or not the portal will cast light.  If it does, the the brighter spots on the 'arms' will be facing the portal and probably reflect a purplish cast.  Using a purple highlight with metallic shading facing away from the portal would probably look quite nice.  If it's casting light on the 'arms', walls, and floor it would definitely make it look more "there."  The portal might also be an excellent opportunity to toy with AGS's alpha-transparency.

Of course, all suggestions are merely my preferences but it is a touch difficult to tell what should be implements vs. what will be but isn't there yet.  For instance, I would think a complex device (even if it has most wiring/circuitry running through the floor) would have control panels and monitoring stations around.  Perhaps that back techno-plated wall would be a good location for some of that (and actually give a reason for having put the mixed panelling on there). 

Excellent stuff, quite clean and it's coming along nicely. 

Many interesting replies, and I've definitely gotten a few surprises from members I thought were a bit more liberal than they turned out to be.  In any case, I don't have any problem with someone being racist/sexist/homophobic - what have you, as long as they keep it to themselves.  This thread is, of course, an exception since opinions were encouraged. 

There have been questions about condoning murder, incest, animal acts; and they've all been poor analogies and way off base.  The prerequisite for the two consenting adults doing whatever they want behind closed doors is that word - adults.  The law protects their rights by making sure they've reached adulthood so they're not being taken advantage of, so if they're both fine with whatever activity they choose to pursue, I really don't see what business it is of ours. 

The hypocrisy of some of the religious types (nobody in particular here, and more picking on the people than the religion) is amazing.  The bible says God killed a man for masturbation (spilling his seed on the ground), the ten commandments are violated constantly, and casual sexual relations abound in nearly every sect.  Homosexuals were executed (in accordance with God's law) in the old testament but Jesus changed the rules a bit: Hate the sin, not the sinner/ I say to you no longer an eye for an eye /love thy neighbor as thyself / do unto others as you would have them do unto you.  Strangely, I couldn't find a single verse wherein Jesus condemns homosexuality.  Sure, there are some by Paul (aka Saul "Paul" of Tarsus), and I believe one or two in letters from apostles (non JC quotes though).   The majority of Christians today (or at least those I've met from West to East coasts in the US) are so full of themselves and they're religion that they spit upon Jesus' teachings.  Caring about others, putting yourself second, hating sin itself and wanting better for the sinners - but not hating them, how often is this practiced?  I'm sure a homosexual hates it just as much when a Christian claims they need to be freed from their sin of homosexuality but at least it's coming from a better motivation than, "It just disgusts me."

Ooo.. I knew I shouldn't have joined in.  I know too many gay/bi people and I'm living around San Francisco so it's a bit more liberal here and this issue isn't one I take lightly.  It seems to me that the population in general just needs something to hate.  Blacks, Chinese, Communism, homosexuality have all made their rounds.  The hate just gets less superficial as time goes on and people have to actually invade people's private lives in order to find something worthy of odium.

Live and let live? That sums up the beliefs of some of us.  However, most don't apply it to animals (with vegetarian/vegan exceptions of course).  I, for one, have more of a philosophy of I don't screw with you, don't screw with me.  I hold strong opinions about what I find to be acceptable and/or annoying. 

One of my recent determinations is that it's wrong to bring up controversial issues, politics, or religion unless you're willing to intelligently defend yourself.  It's fine if someone wants to share their faith (or lack thereof) with me but they'd better be ready to be able to defend their views, or at least tolerate giving mine a listen.  After the recent homosexual debate, my ex actually came across just that issue.  She tried to reason with the guy but he was only willing to put his views forward, and unwilling to contemplate anything different. 

I think that one double standard that liberally-minded people often have is that they assume that open-mindedness is the best way to go and don't consider listening to a point of view that might be a little more (or a lot more) conservative than they're own. 

You see what you've done? You've made this question so damned general that I end up rambling.

Ooops!  Sorry, I was trying to be humourous about something I actually feel very strongly about.

Again, I don't disagree with the message at all.  I merely stated that it was a bit off topic.  I was going to suggest that looking over some backgrounds from games circa 1992 might be a good way to improve our art by seeing what techniques the artists used and potentially improving upon them. 

A bit more on topic; I've seen several diagrams showing how to correctly render a shadow, including its length and its perspective related to the object.  However, I've yet to see a good 1-point perspective shadow & light tutorial on the web.  It would seem we've all beat around the bush on this particular background but haven't hit quite the correct methodology.   

Yes, we're getting far too analytical.  The background doesn't ruin enjoyment, but it's an interesting session nonetheless.  I'd probably be more on the defensive with critiques of SQ3 backgrounds. (edit: whoops, I also wanted to mention an AGS game that was great fun, but didn't have the greatest graphics (No offensive Cap'n), the Box that Ate Time)

I misspoke, I was very specifically only referring to Farlander as a wanker.

I was being harsh? I didn't name any names and I certainly didn't call them lame.  I'm not disputing their points.  They're valid.  However,  somebody proclaiming a movie as a classic shouldn't preempt any critiquing thereof.

There are enough pointless, argumentative threads in the general forum.  Can't we keep the critics lounge as a place to critique rather than others criticizing the fact that we're making observations ?  I, for one, was vastly encouraged about the quality of my stuff seeing that even some professional games have had glaring errors.  I also learned quite a bit about light-sourcing and different methods for exploring it.  If a person or two is learning, I don't consider any critiquing, debating, or competition thread worthless. 

Since it's supposed to be barren, I'd think it would work.  However, there are a couple things detracting from the image.  1) The building looks a bit too flat.  Simple is okay but not if it looks 2-dimensional.  You wouldn't even have to do any hard perspective work but having it even slightly at an angle so you could see a side-wall receding would do wonders. 
2) The building doesn't blend with its surroundings. The somber coloring of the building wouldn't clash too badly but with the well-lit windows, you'd assume there'd be light and shadows cast from the building.  If you're using anything other than MS-paint, you can easily add a touch of glow around the neon lights and light from the windows (it doesn't have to be precise squares of light, it could be just making the area out front a little lighter).  With all the light beaming from signs and windows, I'd assume the rectangular unit on the roof would be a little darker as well. 

I like the look, reminds me a bit of SQ3 but with the soft-textured ground & sky and the hard-edged 16-color style building, it clashes just a bit too much.

So it is, essentially, a transition scene (if I understand you correctly).  The sprite will be visible onscreen but only until he's progressed up the path into the distance.  The next room will be a bit closer then, yeah? Seems like it should work perfectly for this.  I believe there are good tutorials around for trees and bushes.  If not, try Google's image search and look for a picture similar to what you want to portray.  If you have trouble choosing which details should show up (since the pic's halfway between realism and cartoonish), just futz with the brightness and contrast or use posterization (under image adjustments usually) to drop the colors so you can see the essentials. 

It does get a little frustrating when you hear that certain quests or game-paths are determined by what expansion packs you own (like not being able to be 100% neutral without expansions).  I went clan-style and am still exploring West Athens but I've yet to figure out what the advantages of a "Fixer" are.  Apparently you're weaker and slower than an adventurer but you get the advantage of having a smaller nano pool and no skills whatsoever. 

Bloody gorgeous.  I especially like how it's not in the stereotypical time of day (e.g. red sunset, twilight, middle of the afternoon). 

If this picture is only a transition scene then the only things that need addressing are the ones damien mentioned.  With so much detail in the background, the foreground looks a little bland and cartoony by comparison.  A little bit more textured /shaded detail on the tree and sharper leaves on the bush (with higher contrast shading) would do wonders.  You might even be able to get away with blacking out the tree entirely (though I think it'd be a shame as touch-ups could solidify the image). 

If the front of the monastery is meant to be played on then the path should be visible whereever you need to perform actions.  Walking behind the hill would be fine for transition but could be frustrating when the char's just a few pixels tall. 

Excellent stuff.  The buildings pique my interest and the picture's very moody.

I've only gotten up to level 8.  I actually haven't played in a week.  I blame work.  Well that, and Half-Life 2.  Is the lack of progression due to a lack of stuff to do after 20 or boredom with the characters by that point?

Alright, now you've done it.  With multiple comments on the centerpiece I felt inclined to photograph my reference.  Now I've got to confront my demons and notice where my proportions and overall shape are wrong. 

Come to think of it, I should just take the metal color values from this, eh?
I am seeing (now that it's a photo and not just in front of me) what you meant by the more yellow values.  There's also more consistency in the highlight to dark thing that I used.  I had more of a random metallic-shading thing going.

Thanks for the tips, Webspider but I've been doing this only in Paint.NET. It'd be a shame to break down and use Photoshop (which I haven't got at work anyway) now.

After that MS-Paint thread brought Paint.NET to my attention, I decided to give it a try.Ã,  I did find that it has a few things above MS-Paint but not enough to award a kick-ass designation.Ã,  MS-Paint actually does some things quite a bit better.Ã, 

Anyway, for a work-in-progress for work, I did a picture of one of the Lucasfilm security badges, trying for a 16 - 32 color type design.Ã,  The top made me miss Photoshop terribly and I (admittedly) got a little lazy on it. I had a bitch of a time trying to figure out what I wanted my palette to be and how to represent gold (I know I've done gold better at some point).


Ã,  General pointers and tips would be nice but in particular on how to make the gold more realistic and the whole thing a tad more metallic.

If nothing else, it introduced my to Paint.NET.  I messed with it a bit last night.  It's still got some shortcomings and annoyingly left-out features but it's certainly leaps and bounds beyond paint.  Strange how they've dropped some features people, probably because they personally don't use them.  I miss the polygonal lasso.   The easy anti-alias toggle is nice and the normal palette is much more useful.  The default filters are fairly crappy but could prove useful occasionally.